I want to build a new gaming rig in September, but...

[asdftt123]

...should I wait? I'm asking because I hear there's quite a few anticipated releases in terms of CPU's and GPU's in the near future. I want this computer to be a high range rig that will last me for years to come because I don't have the funds to purchase parts for upgrades or a new rig as I'm a college student. Currently, with the available parts today I was thinking of making a system similar to this in Sept:

Core 2 Quad Q6600
nVidia GeForce 8800GTX 768MB
2GB RAM
Vista 64 bit

I'm wondering if there are any schedule releases or price drops (other than Q6600) for any video cards or processors in the next couple of months. Does nVidia have a general release date for their 9000 line and is ATI planning anything new as well? Also, with the price drop of the Quad cores, is Intel planning on bring a new series of CPU's to the market and is AMD doing anything to fight back? Also, would you say this is a good time to start researching for building a new rig or should I wait for something better to hit the market? How do the next couple of months look for the PC community?

I guess the bottom line is, should I bother waiting a bit longer for new releases or price drops or should I send in an order in September for the system I have listed? Will the system fit a $1600 budget (will need monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers)? Also, should I got 64 or 32 bit Vista? Would you recommend 4gb RAM for 64 bit? Thanks a lot.

 

[emp]

Go for 64-bit for SURE, and about the ram, not really sure, depends if you can make it fit in your budget without sacrificing any of the other components since 2GB will work fine.

So far we only have no other price cuts coming that I'm aware of and only rumors and speculations as to when new products will be released (and all of these rumors pointing to the end of the year)

I would also add to that list Crysis since it's scheduled for september 11th, and yes the $1600 will suffice for what you want and then some. What I would also consider is aim for a 8800GTS 320 and keep the extra money for Q4 2008 and buy whatever is best at that time. But you can also buy the 8800GTX, either way you can't go wrong.

 

[asdftt123]

Emp, thank you very much for your response. =) It's a relief to hear you say that the system will be within my budget, but to me it seemed like a long stretch seeing that I'll be needing a monitor and peripherals. Also, I would like to purchase all the parts I want initially and avoid upgrades as much as possible (except for adding RAM later) so I want to get a good system and not regret purchasing too soon. Also, I will plan on purchasing Crysis eventually, if not at the release as I want my PC budget to go into beefing it up. If anyone else has a take on this or any general suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[emp]

Q6600 $270
GTX $530
GA-P35-DS3R ($150)
2GB DDR2 800 ($100)
250GB HDD 7.2K rpm (about $60)
Vista 64 (~$110)
Centurion 5/534 ($50)
PSU (~$110)
19" LCD Monitor ($180)
Keyboard ($20?)
Mouse ($20?)

Total ~$1600

But GET CRYSIS

 

[asdftt123]

Haha, very conservative estimates on those and you forgot speakers, which bumps the price up over $1600. =P Anyways, does anyone else have a take on my situation...would it be best to wait a little bit longer? If anyone else has suggestion on my rig, I would appreciate it too.

 

[Bigredmeanie]

I'm also looking to build a machine very soon. As for CPU realistically ANY of the core 2 duo's, will suffice for several years. I'm more worried about the grafx cards outdating themselves by the end of the year.

Everything I've read suggests that you really want 4gb of ram with 64bit Vista.